In Ghent, about a hundred people attended a demonstration against sexual aggression. The manifestation moves from the Vrijdagsmarkt to the town hall to deliver an open letter to the city council. It draws attention to victims of sexual abuse after two possible cases of rape.
–
It concerns two incidents, both of which are being investigated by the public prosecutor of East Flanders. A first case dates back to late October, when an adult woman was allegedly given a narcotic substance in her drink and was raped in a park. On Saturday morning, the Ghent police were again confronted with a possible assault in the Overpoort entertainment district.
‘Not isolated facts’, writes Meldet, an organization that maps cross-border incidents. ‘In less than a year, six hundred reports were made to us in Ghent. That shows that the problem is big. We also receive reports elsewhere, but most come from Ghent, because we are a Ghent organization’, says Lise Goossens of Meldet.
The owners of the Overpoort are behind the open letter from the organization Meldet, which the demonstrators will hand over to the city council. They want to work together against what they describe as ‘the rape culture’, in which transgressive behavior is normalized. They argue that cafe owners should be addressed more quickly if incidents occur, so that they can intervene quickly and offer support.
Meldet, created by the Ghent café Blond, also provides legal assistance and notices that reports to authorities do not always run smoothly. ‘When a report is not taken seriously, it adds another trauma to it.’
The whole culture must therefore be addressed. ‘We need to invest extra in the police. Now they are understaffed to handle sexual assault cases with sufficient psychological assistance’, says Goossens. In anticipation of these reforms, Meldet wants to play a role in raising awareness: among the cafe owners, the bouncers and the customers. In the letter they request resources from the city council for this. The protest march starts at 6 p.m. on the Vrijdagsmarkt and heads towards the town hall.
– .
